How Much Can a Silverado 2500HD Actually Tow?

Expect the dealer to go through your truck, check its history and what it’s selling for and then give you a trade number. In Texas that trade will also reduce your sales tax as the 6.25% tax only applies to the price of the vehicle you’re buying less your trade. That tax break is the biggest reason to trade in rather than sell on your own. Here’s how the whole thing works and what to watch out for. How does a dealer figure out my truck’s trade-in value in Texas? A dealer works backward from what your truck will sell for and then deducts the cost of getting it ready. Here’s what that number breaks down into: Year, miles and trim. A newer, lower mile crew cab 4x4 is worth more than a high mile regular cab work truck. Not at all a surprise. Condition. Dents, worn seats, cracked glass and tire tread all get looked at. So does anything the dealer has to fix before it can sell the truck. History. A clean title and a clean history report help. A branded title (like salvage or flood) hurts a lot. What trucks like yours are selling for. Trade values are market driven. A truck that’s in demand right now brings more. Equipment. Talk about the upgrades, the gooseneck hitch, the bed liner, the tool box etc. Some of those add value in the right truck. Some of them don’t. In Northeast Texas a lot of the trades are work trucks. A truck that’s pulled a stock trailer to the sale barn every week will show it and that’s perfectly acceptable. Be up front about it. An honest description from the start means you’re not going to be surprised when the appraiser goes around it. How much does a trade-in save on Texas sales tax? Texas charges 6.25% motor vehicle sales tax on the sales price minus your trade-in allowance. So your trade is worth more than its dollar value. It also cuts your tax bill. Here’s an example. Say you buy a truck for $55,000 and trade in one worth $20,000: Without a trade: tax on $55,000 is $3,437.50. With the trade: tax on $35,000 is $2,187.50. Tax saved: $1,250. That’s money you’d lose if you sold the truck yourself. The Comptroller says you can’t use the proceeds of a private sale to reduce the tax on your next vehicle. To get the credit the trade has to go directly to the seller as part of the same sale. If a private buyer offers you $1,000 more than a dealer you may not actually come out ahead when you take the tax into account. What if I still owe money on my truck? You can still trade it in. The loan payoff is dealt with as part of the transaction. If your truck is worth more than you owe then the difference is your equity and that goes toward your next vehicle. If you owe more than the truck is worth then you’re in negative equity. That gap is typically added to your new loan so you’d be paying it off as part of your new vehicle. Know your payoff before you go in. Call your lender and get the payoff amount. That way you can check the math yourself. And here’s the good news about the tax. The Comptroller has made it clear that the trade-in credit is based on the value of the vehicle, not your equity. So if you owe money on your truck that doesn’t reduce your tax credit at all. What paperwork should I bring? Bring these and the deal goes a lot faster: Your title (if the truck is paid off). It has to be signed, with the date and the odometer reading. Your lender’s name and your account number (if you still owe on it). Your current registration and your driver’s license. Every key and remote. A missing key can bring your number down. Your maintenance records (if you’ve got them) - they’ll show the truck’s been looked after. You can keep your license plates. Texas allows the seller to take them off when the vehicle is sold. What should I do after I trade in my truck? File a Vehicle Transfer Notification with the DMV within 30 days. It’s an easy step to forget. Here’s why it matters. Texas doesn’t require the dealer to put the traded truck into the dealership’s name. The truck remains in your name until it’s sold to somebody else. The TxDMV states that if you file the notice within 30 days you won’t be held liable for any parking tickets or toll violations on that truck. It takes a few minutes online. How do you get a fair trade number? A fair trade starts with knowing what you have. These steps help: Check an online estimate first (it won’t be exact but it’ll give you a range to work from). Clean it out and wash it. You don’t need to go right down to a detail job but a clean truck looks better. Don’t pay for the major repairs right before you trade as you won’t necessarily get that money back in the trade number. Get the trade number in writing and keep it separate from the price of the truck you’re buying so you can see both of them clearly. And watch out for stacked conditions. That’s when a trade number will only hold if you finance with the dealer, buy an add-on or meet some other condition. It’s very common in this business. It’s also how a good looking number can turn into a bad deal. How does a trade-in work at Sandlin Chevrolet? Sandlin Chevrolet in Mount Pleasant, Texas, doesn’t stack conditions on a number. If they give you a trade value it’s not conditioned on financing here or anything else you’ve got to add on. You can go online. Sandlin’s free trade appraisal form asks for the year, make, model, VIN, mileage, condition and approximate payoff of your truck. Then they appraise it. You can also just drive it in. If you’re trading up you can obviously browse their new and pre-owned inventory before coming in. Bob Sandlin bought into the Chevy store here in 1937 and it’s still in the family after four generations. Yes, Lake Bob Sandlin is named for him. Chevy refers to itself as the Heartbeat of America and for a store that’s been selling Chevrolets right here in the area since before WWII that’s certainly the case. Ask for Juan Cruz (voted Best Car Salesperson in the Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune Readers’ Choice Awards) or call the sales team at 903-285-6644. Frequently asked questions Does trading in my truck reduce my sales tax in Texas? Yes. Texas taxes 6.25% of the sales price less your trade-in. The trade has to go to the seller as part of the same sale. Can I trade in a truck I still owe money on? Yes. The loan payoff is dealt with as part of the trade. Any equity goes to the new vehicle. If you owe more than the truck is worth then the difference is generally added to your new loan. Do I need my title to trade in my truck? If it’s paid off then yes. Bring it signed, with the date and odometer reading. If you still owe on it then you’ll need to bring your lender’s name and account number. What do I need to do after I trade in my truck in Texas? File a Vehicle Transfer Notification with the TxDMV within 30 days. That protects you from parking tickets and toll violations on the truck after it’s out of your possession. Will Sandlin’s trade offer change if I don’t finance with them? No. Sandlin doesn’t stack financing or other conditions on a trade number.

The Trax is the most affordable new Chevy SUV, followed by the Trailblazer and the Equinox. At Sandlin Chevrolet in Mount Pleasant, Texas, you can see all three in current inventory. The Equinox is the surprise. On the Chevy sticker the Equinox is $7,300 more than the Trax. Dealer pricing can narrow that gap, so compare current prices before you decide. If you’re looking for an affordable new SUV in Texas that changes the math. How much do Chevy’s most affordable SUVs cost at Sandlin? Here’s how the three compare on the lowest sticker price that Chevrolet sets for each model. The sticker prices include Chevrolet’s destination charge. Check chevrolet.com for current pricing. Trax: Chevy’s lowest sticker is $23,495 for the 2026 Trax LS. Equinox: Chevy’s lowest sticker is $30,795 for the 2026 Equinox LT. Trailblazer: Chevy’s lowest sticker is $25,395 (2026 Trailblazer LS). Chevy’s sticker is the cheapest version they build. The price on the lot depends on the vehicle. The trims vary. Neither one includes tax, title or license. Prices will move as the vehicles go out. So before you drive in, check out today’s prices on Sandlin’s new Trax, new Trailblazer and new Equinox pages. You may well find a trim or color that you like even better. If one of them does it for you then just call 903-285-6644 and ask for it by stock number. What do you get with a Trax? More than most people expect for the money. Even the base Trax comes with: A 1.2L turbo 3-cylinder with 137 hp and a 6-speed automatic 30 mpg combined, EPA-estimated A touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto LED headlamps and automatic high beams Chevy Safety Assist, which includes automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist Up to 54.1 cubic feet of cargo room with the rear seats folded But it can’t do AWD at all, it’s front wheel drive only. Nothing at all on any trim. It’s not rated to tow either. If you need to pull a small trailer the Trax is not the vehicle for you. For a lot of people that’s absolutely acceptable. The average commute in Mount Pleasant is around 16 minutes. A Trax will cope with that, the shopping and a weekend trip to Lake Bob Sandlin without any issues. Is the Equinox worth the step up from a Trax? For most people, yes. The Equinox is a bigger compact SUV, so compare current prices on both before you decide. Here’s what the step up gets you: Heated front seats and a heated steering wheel (standard on the LT). Towing. The 2026 Equinox is rated to tow up to 1,500 lbs. The Trax isn’t rated to tow at all. AWD is available. The Trax doesn’t have it on any trim. Check with the salesperson to see if the Equinox on the lot has it. More space. That’s obviously important if you’re doing it day in, day out with kids, sports equipment and a dog. The Trax still wins if you’re on a tight to the dollar budget. It’s the lowest priced car on the list and is rated at 30mpg combined. When does the Trailblazer make sense? The Trailblazer sits between the Trax and the Equinox on Chevy’s sticker. So it has to justify its position. It does have two advantages. AWD is available on every Trailblazer trim and every 2026 Trailblazer is rated to tow up to 1,000 lbs (enough for a small utility trailer with a light load). The Equinox tows more and has AWD as well. You’d be well advised to compare the two side by side, prices included. If the exact Trailblazer on the lot is the one you’re after in terms of color and specification then it’s still a very good choice. Should you wait for the 2027 Trax? Most likely not if you’re after a car in the near term. The refreshed 2027 Trax comes on in spring 2027 with new styling and new tech and the trims are now Trax, RS and ACTIV. It’s still got the 1.2L turbo engine. GM hasn’t announced 2027 Trax pricing yet. New model years generally cost more. The 2027 Equinox LT for instance starts $500 more on the sticker than the 2026. The 2026 Trax is available now and you know what it costs. What will it cost to drive one home in Texas? Start with the retail price. Add to that the Texas sales tax (6.25% of the sales price less your trade-in) and that rate is the same in every county. On a $25,000 SUV with no trade the tax comes in at $1,562.50. That brings you to approximately $26,563 before title, registration and any dealer fees. A trade-in lowers the amount you pay tax on, so the tax goes down with it. That’s why the out the door price is more important than the ad. Ask for it in writing before you sign anything. Why buy an affordable Chevy SUV from Sandlin Chevrolet? Sandlin doesn’t layer conditions on a price. You won’t see a discount that only kicks in if you finance with Sandlin, have a trade and meet three other criteria. If they give you a figure it’s a figure a normal person can get. Customers say it in their reviews: “The transparency was refreshing” and “no gimmicks. No high pressure”. It’s the deal itself that’s getting the praise, not the salesperson. Bob Sandlin bought into the Chevy store here in 1937. Four generations on and it’s still in the family. Yes, Lake Bob Sandlin is named for him. Chevy refers to itself as the Heartbeat of America and in Northeast Texas that means vehicles for people who work and who want a fair price on the first go. See Sandlin’s current inventory for the colors and trims on the lot today. Ask for Juan Cruz (voted Best Car Salesperson in the Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune Readers’ Choice Awards) or call the sales team at 903-285-6644. Frequently asked questions What’s the cheapest new Chevy SUV? The Trax. The Chevy price starts at $23,495 with destination for the 2026 Trax LS. Check chevrolet.com for current pricing and see Sandlin’s new Trax page for today’s price. Are there new Chevy SUVs under $30,000? Yes, two. The Trax and Trailblazer start at $23,495 and $25,395 on Chevy’s sticker with destination, and the Equinox LT starts at $30,795 (all before tax, title and license). See Sandlin’s new inventory pages for current prices. Does the Chevy Trax come with AWD? No, it’s front wheel drive only. The Trailblazer and Equinox both offer AWD. Can a Chevy Trax tow a trailer? No. The Trax isn’t rated to tow at all. The Trailblazer is rated for up to 1,000 lbs and the 2026 Equinox for up to 1,500 lbs. Do Sandlin’s prices come with stacked conditions? No. Sandlin doesn’t stack financing, trade-in and other requirements on a price. Ask for the out-the-door number in writing.

If you’re looking for a Chevy or Chevrolet dealer near Longview or Gilmer then Sandlin Chevrolet in Mount Pleasant, Texas, is about 51 miles from Longview and 30 from Gilmer (US 271 takes you most of the way). There are Chevy dealerships closer to home. The deal at the end of this drive though has no games in it. That’s the honest pitch. Sandlin isn’t the nearest Chevy outlet. But the journey is well worth it and here’s why. How far is Sandlin Chevrolet from Longview and Gilmer? From Longview it’s a little over an hour. From Gilmer it’s about 40 minutes. Both towns take the same route: From Longview: Take SH 300 (Gilmer Road) northwest out of town. It’s about 19 miles and ends at US 271 on the south edge of Gilmer. From Gilmer: Take US 271 north, stay on it through Pittsburg in Camp County and on into Mount Pleasant. The store: 204 E 16th St, Mount Pleasant, TX 75455. That’s roughly 51 miles from Longview and 30 from Gilmer. It’s an easy drive north into Northeast Texas with no interstate until you get to Mount Pleasant. What do Longview and Gilmer drivers need from a truck? Longview builds things. It’s the seat of Gregg County and some of its major employers are Eastman Chemical, Komatsu and Trinity Rail (chemicals, mining machinery and rail equipment respectively). A lot of the people there drive into the plant gate every week and then hook up a trailer on the weekend. Gilmer is the Upshur County seat (pop. ~4,800). It hosts the Yamboree, a sweet potato festival which began in 1935 and is held the third weekend in October. It’s a huge event drawing over 100,000 people. There’s a livestock show as part of the Yamboree so you’ll see stock trailers all over the place in October. Lake Gilmer is four miles west of town. Most of the people who make the journey from either end are after a Silverado. The 1500 is the one that does the commute and the weekend bumper pull. The 2500HD is the one you go for if you’re after a gooseneck or a loaded stock trailer. If you don’t know which build will tow what then our Silverado 2500HD towing guide has the figures broken down by cab, bed and engine. Not everyone needs a truck though. If you just need something good on the gas for the commute to work then have a look at the Trax, the Trailblazer and the Equinox. Same rules, same deal, just a smaller vehicle. Why drive past the Chevy stores closer to home? Because the number you get here is the number you pay. Sandlin doesn’t run a discount that only kicks in if you finance with them, have a trade and meet three other conditions. You can get on the phone there too. Call 903-285-6644 and ask your questions prior to even getting in the truck. If you’d like to speak to a particular person, you can ask for Juan Cruz. He was voted Best Car Salesperson in the Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune Readers’ Choice Awards and is named in several reviews. Some customers go a lot farther than you will. One customer switched to Sandlin after 15 years and 8 vehicles bought at a Dallas dealership. Another drove all the way home to Louisiana after buying here. Longview is a very short trip by comparison. A 50 mile drive is still a real cost. You’re spending a morning and a tank of gas. A deal with all sorts of hidden conditions costs more than that and you don’t usually find out until you’re sitting at the finance desk. How do you make the drive worth it? Do a bit of homework prior to your departure from Longview or Gilmer. It’ll save you a wasted trip. Call ahead at 903-285-6644 to check whether the truck you saw online is still on the lot. Trucks do sell and you don’t want to drive 50 miles for one that’s gone. Ask for the out the door price in writing. A straight deal is a deal that can stand up on paper. If a number can’t go in an email then it’s not really a number. Bring your trade paperwork. That means your title, or your payoff info if you still owe on it, your driver’s license and proof of insurance. Bring your trailer numbers if you’re buying a tow rig. Know the loaded weight and whether it’s a gooseneck or a bumper pull. That’s how you match the truck to the trailer rather than just guessing. No need to worry about the tax. Texas assesses a 6.25% motor vehicle sales tax on the price less your trade-in. It’s the same rate in Mount Pleasant as it is in Longview or Gilmer. Who is Sandlin Chevrolet? Bob Sandlin bought into the Chevrolet store in Mount Pleasant in 1937. It’s still in the family after four generations and yes, Lake Bob Sandlin is named for him. Chevy is the Heartbeat of America. That’s a phrase that absolutely fits a place that’s been selling Chevys right here since before WWII. There are still some of the Chevy hats and jackets from the 80s and 90s in the building. The clientele hasn’t changed much either. They’re the same sort of people who work a job and need a truck to do the same. The store is 204 E 16th St. It’s a small town dealership in Northeast Texas and runs as such. You deal with people who see their customers around town. Call 903-285-6644 prior to heading up 271 and get your numbers first. Frequently asked questions How far is Sandlin Chevrolet from Longview, TX? Approximately 51 miles (a little over an hour). Take SH 300 northwest to Gilmer, then US 271 north to Mount Pleasant. How far is Sandlin Chevrolet from Gilmer, TX? Approximately 30 miles (about 40 minutes). Take US 271 north through Pittsburg. Will I pay more sales tax if I buy in Mount Pleasant? No. The Texas motor vehicle sales tax is 6.25% of the sales price less your trade-in and it’s the same rate throughout the state. Do Sandlin’s prices come with all the conditions stacked on them? No. Sandlin doesn’t stack financing, trade-in and all the other stuff on the price. Ask for the out-the-door number in writing before you even get in the car. Can I trade in a vehicle I didn’t buy from Sandlin? Yes. Just bring the title or your payoff information if you still owe on it. Your trade will also reduce the amount of sales tax you pay.